Super Typhoon Jelawat

[Somerset Squall]

Okinawa has been hit by so many typhoons this year. Okinawa's co-ordinates are 26.5N, 128E, which on this map (click to zoom) just shows the amount of storms having made a beeline for the island this year. Never seen anything quite like it.

Edited September 29, 2012 by Somerset Squall

[Coast]

The Japanese mainland braced for Typhoon Jelawat on Sunday amid warnings of landslides, floods and monster waves, a day after it injured scores of people on southern Okinawa island. The powerful typhoon was expected to hit the western region of the main island Honshu and move towards central areas, including Tokyo, later in the day, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

Jelawat, about 60 kilometres (37 miles) south-southwest of the southern tip of Wakayama prefecture at 2:00 pm (0500 GMT), was moving northeast, packing winds of up to 216 kilometres per hour, the agency said. It warned high waves up to 10 metres (33 feet) could hit islands and the pacific coast near the capital, while rainfall of 40 centimetres was expected in some areas in the next 24 hours.

At least 101 people were injured in southern Okinawa and Kagoshima prefectures and air and train travel were disrupted after the typhoon hit the area Saturday with winds strong enough to flip cars, public broadcaster NHK said.

http://au.news.yahoo...anese-mainland/

Typhoon Jelawat was one of the strongest and most beautiful tropical cyclones in all of 2012. He got all the way up to a 160mph cat5 super typhoon. He had a solid eyewall and even a pinwheel eye at one time. Luckily typhoon Jelawat weakened on its approach to Okinawa. Jelawat still has dropped heavy rain and really stong winds with videos showing some damage. Jelawat is in unfavorable conditions and will not strengthen as he heads toward Japan. Okinawa will not get as strong wind as previously forecasted but they will still get some impacts. This is same for Japan and that is something neither country needs. Jelawat will continue to weaken due to cooler waters over the next few days. In 1-2 days Jelawat will be flying by Japan and becoming an extra-tropical storm. Models are in a pretty good agreement of where Jelawat will go and how strong, unlike Nadine. I have even made a forecast for Jelawat, this is something I rarely do with pacific storms. Jelawat will become an extra-tropical storm in a couple days

http://www.wundergro...tml?entrynum=38

[Coast]

WTPN31 PGTW 300900

MSGID/GENADMIN/JOINT TYPHOON WRNCEN PEARL HARBOR HI//

SUBJ/TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNING//

RMKS/

1. TROPICAL STORM 18W (JELAWAT) WARNING NR 040

DOWNGRADED FROM TYPHOON 18W

02 ACTIVE TROPICAL CYCLONES IN NORTHWESTPAC

MAX SUSTAINED WINDS BASED ON ONE-MINUTE AVERAGE

WIND RADII VALID OVER OPEN WATER ONLY

---

WARNING POSITION:

300600Z --- NEAR 33.0N 135.8E

MOVEMENT PAST SIX HOURS - 040 DEGREES AT 19 KTS

POSITION ACCURATE TO WITHIN 020 NM

POSITION BASED ON CENTER LOCATED BY SATELLITE

PRESENT WIND DISTRIBUTION:

MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 060 KT, GUSTS 075 KT

WIND RADII VALID OVER OPEN WATER ONLY

BECOMING EXTRATROPICAL

RADIUS OF 050 KT WINDS - 100 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT

100 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT

060 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT

050 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT

RADIUS OF 034 KT WINDS - 145 NM NORTHEAST QUADRANT

125 NM SOUTHEAST QUADRANT

125 NM SOUTHWEST QUADRANT

100 NM NORTHWEST QUADRANT

REPEAT POSIT: 33.0N 135.8E

---

FORECASTS:

12 HRS, VALID AT:

301800Z --- 38.2N 141.2E

MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 045 KT, GUSTS 055 KT

WIND RADII VALID OVER OPEN WATER ONLY

BECOMING EXTRATROPICAL

VECTOR TO 24 HR POSIT: 045 DEG/ 37 KTS

---

24 HRS, VALID AT:

010600Z --- 43.2N 148.4E

MAX SUSTAINED WINDS - 035 KT, GUSTS 045 KT

WIND RADII VALID OVER OPEN WATER ONLY

EXTRATROPICAL

---

REMARKS:

300900Z POSITION NEAR 34.3N 137.1E.

TROPICAL STORM 18W (JELAWAT) LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 240 NM SOUTHWEST

OF YOKOSUKA, JAPAN, HAS TRACKED NORTHEASTWARD AT 19 KNOTS OVER THE

PAST SIX HOURS. MAXIMUM SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT AT 300600Z IS 30

FEET. NEXT WARNINGS AT 301500Z, 302100Z AND 010300Z. REFER TO

TROPICAL STORM 19W (EWINIAR) WARNINGS (WTPN32 PGTW) FOR SIX-HOURLY

UPDATES.//

http://www.usno.navy.mil/NOOC/nmfc-ph/RSS/jtwc/warnings/wp1812web.txt

[Somerset Squall]

Jelawat has lost typhoon status this morning and is now a 60kt tropical storm as it races northeastwards towards mainland Japan. Heavy rains are already spreading across the country, sheared northeast of the increasingly distorted circulation centre. The southwest quadrant of Jelawat looks rather bare as southwesterly shear continues to batter the storm as it moves into the higher lattitudes. Jelawat should soon lose tropical characteristics as it moves through eastern Japan and out into the open waters of the North Pacific.

It's pretty lucky Jelawat took the path it did. Only 2 deaths have been reported as Jelawat stayed away from land at it's strongest. The same can be said of Sanba, which caused just 2 deaths aswell. The deadliest storm of the season so far has been Haikui, which made landfall on eastern China as a mere tropical storm, but caused 105 deaths. Just goes to show the weaker storms can be just as deadly. However, I think we would be looking at different figures if Sanba and Jelawat has travelled further to the west.

The Philippines, so far, have been let off lightly. Last year, they got battered by storm after storm. This year, though flooding has occured from nearby typhoons, only Vicente and Kai-Tak have brushed the region. These two track maps for last year above and this year below shows the difference in the tracks of the typhoons this year (click to enlarge).

Edited September 30, 2012 by Somerset Squall

[Somerset Squall]

Jelawat has become extratropical and JTWC have issued the last advisory.

[Coast]

It's pretty powerful, watch it turn this car over in Okinawa:

http://youtu.be/rUjEMmyXkGE

[Coast]

Storm speeds out of Japan after injuring dozens

TOKYO (AP) -- A weakening tropical storm was speeding out of Japan on Monday after bringing gale-strength winds to Tokyo and injuring dozens of people, causing blackouts and paralyzing traffic to the south and west of the capital. Japan's Meteorological Agency had warned Tokyo residents to stay indoors while Typhoon Jelawat passed Sunday night. The storm then had winds of up to 78 miles an hour but weakened to a tropical storm with 67 mph in the morning.

On Sunday, Nagoya city issued an evacuation advisory to more than 50,000 residents because of fear of flooding from a swollen river. A similar advisory was issued for more than 10,000 people in the northern city of Ishinomaki that was hit by last year's tsunami. The typhoon left 145 people with minor injuries in southern and western Japan, about half of them on the southern island of Okinawa, public broadcaster NHK said. Tens of thousands of homes were without electricity.

Kyodo news agency reported one fatality, a man who was swept away by seawater while fishing in Okinawa. Dozens of trains were halted in coastal areas around Tokyo and many stores inside the capital closed early Sunday as the storm approached. It is expected to move into the Pacific Ocean early Monday.

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